Day 2034

I'm glad I mowed the grass yesterday, because it was even hotter outside today. The temperature is still tolerable when we walk the dogs just before sunrise, but the comfortable predawn breezes don't last long. I'm going to have to start watering the lawn again, because things are drying up fast. I guess this had to happen. It is almost the middle of July. I feel lucky that our unusually mild Spring and Summer lasted as long as it did.

Today was a day to stock up on things.  I got furnace filters again. The filters are supposed to last 90 days, but they never do. Our house is amazingly dusty and always full of dog hair. I'm lucky if the filters last a month. I got halogen bulbs for the floor lamps in the living room. I've switched all the other light fixtures in the house to LED bulbs that will outlast me, but the bulbs in the floor lamps burn out continually. I got a dozen blue shop towels, some astringent for my oily skin, and a box of large trash bags, It's amazing how two people can generate so much trash. I think most of it is just the junk mail we throw away each day. The post office does a good business delivering junk mail. That's all we get these days.

At this time of year, I often run out of things to photograph. The wildflowers are just about gone by now. Some of the Firewheels remain, along with a few Horsemint and Purple Verbena plants. The meadows are no longer a blaze of color though. Everything has gone to seed. The spectacular sunsets don't begin to appear until October. Even the animals have disappeared. They have all taken shelter in brushy areas to beat the heat. You'll have to live with a picture of crows on telephone wires today. That's the only thing that caught my eye.

I got my first door ding in the new car today. I guess the car isn't really new any more, since I've had it almost two years, but it still seems new compared to the Defender that I drove for over fifteen years. I hate door dings because they are so inevitable. It's only a matter of time before an errant shopping cart comes to a stop against the side of your car, or somebody parking next to you swings their door wide open quickly without realizing the the parking places aren't wide enough for this sort of thing. The Defender was covered with small door dings by the time I sold it. Look at the cars surrounding you the next time you're in a large parking lot. Almost every one of them will have a dent in it somewhere.

I need to make a point of going to the gym tomorrow. The slow walks we take with Dot each day aren't burning up many calories and I'm eating more than I was during my Kale salad days. That's the trouble with staying in shape. You just can't ignore it.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1760

I think I'm up to speed again. A severe weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow provided the excuse I needed to finally go out and buy the generator I've been talking about. It's not the world's greatest generator, but it met my criteria. It was light enough that I could get the box in and out of the car by myself. The box was filled with warning labels. I never realized that there were so many ways a generator could kill you. I promise not to try to run the thing indoors, attempt to hook it up to the house wiring, or  start the engine without first adding engine oil.

Both dogs now have their follow-up appointments confirmed at the cancer center. I kept waiting to be reminded about these appointments, but apparently I was the one who needed to remind them. I've noticed the same thing with my own Hepatitis C treatment. The healthier you get, the less visible you are on the hospital's radar. No complaints though. It's good to be healthy. I keep hoping that the dogs will be declared officially cured at one of their follow-up exams, but that's probably never going to happen. Cancer just doesn't work that way.

The new car finally got a door ding when I went to the grocery store this morning. It was inevitable. You can't drive a car in the city without getting door dings. It's not really a new car anymore anyway, since I've had it more than a year now. It just seems new compared to the Defender 90, which I drove for decades. You never noticed door dings on the Defender. The thing was put together so crudely with sheets of aluminum and rivet guns that I'm sure it came straight from the factory with door dings.

I tried again without success to get some pictures of the Monarch butterflies before they continue their migration South and disappear for another year. I think I got my best animal pictures in 2011 when the dogs were at that perfect age between being wild puppies and grumpy seniors. Back then, I could tell them to sit and stay while I took a picture and they would actually do what I said. Those were the days. The occasional great picture is just a happy accident these days.

I hope the weather forecast is wrong for this weekend. I'd much rather wash the car and do normal weekend chores than console storm phobic dogs and worry about the power going out.  I picked up some Texas style sausage kolaches while I was at the store this morning and there's still some bacon in the refrigerator. Rain or shine, at least the day will start well.

Neo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day